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    Mark Twain, the famous American writer and a great master of humor, liked to play jokes on others. But once a joke was played on him. One day Mark Twain was invited to give a talk in a small town. At lunch he met a young man, one of his friends.

    The young man said that he had an uncle with him. He told Mark Twain that his uncle never laughed or smiled, and that nobody and nothing was able to make his uncle smile or laugh.

    "You bring your uncle to my talk this evening," said Mark Twain. "I'm sure I can make him laugh."

    That evening the young man and his uncle sat in the front. Mark Twain began to speak. He told several funny stories and made everyone in the room laugh. But the man never even smiled. Mark Twain told more funny stories, but the old man still kept quiet. Mark Twain continued to tell his funny stories. Finally he stopped. He was tired and quite disappointed.

    Some days later, Mark Twain told another friend what had happened." Oh," said his friend, "I know that man. He's been deaf for years."

A mother's love

    I'm a New York City firefighter. Every day, I see terror— sometimes even death. But the day I found Scarlett was different. That day I saw life. And love.

    We were responding to a call about a burning garage. Outside, I heard the sound of cats crying. I couldn't stop — I would have to look for the cats after the fire was put out.

    It took a long time to finally bring the big fire under control, but we did it. No one inside was hurt.

    At that point I was free to investigate the cat noises. There was still a lot of smoke and heat coming from the building. I followed the meowing(猫叫) to a spot on the sidewalk near the front of the garage. There, crying and huddled(挤作一团) together, were five terrified kittens. They must have been inside the building, as their fur was badly singed(烫烧).

    I left the five kittens in a box on a neighbor's porch(门廊).

    I wanted to find the mother. It was obvious that she had gone into the burning garage and carried out all of her babies, one by one —unbelievable.

    We finally found her. She was badly burnt: her eyes were blistered (起水泡), her paws(爪子) were blackened, and her fur was singed all over. You could even see her reddened skin beneath the burned fur. She could barely move. I picked her up, and she relaxed in my arms as much as her pain would allow. Sensing her trust, I shed a tear. I was determined to save this brave little cat and her family.

    The vet told me they would observe the kittens and their mother overnight, but they weren't optimistic about the mother's changes.

    About a week later, I found out she was going to live. One of the technicians suggested we name her Scarlett, because of her reddened skin.

    Knowing what Scarlett endured(忍受) for her kittens, it melted my heart to see her reunited with them. She touched each of them again, nose to nose, to make sure they were all safe. She had risked her life five separate times — and it had paid off. All of her babies had survived.

    As a firefighter, I see heroism(英雄事迹) every day. But what Scarlett showed me that day was the kind of bravery that can only come from a mother's love.

    Jayson McCarthy, 12, was born without fingers on his left hand. That didn't stop him from being able to do many tasks. But Jayson could not grasp more than one object at a time. So Jayson 's father, Paul, created a Prosthesis(假肢), using a 3D printer. Now Jayson has fingers that open and close. “It was a do－it－yourself, father－and－son adventure，” says Paul.

    When Jayson was a baby, his doctor advised his parents not to give him a prosthetic hand until he was in his early teens. “The doctor said Jayson should first learn to get full use out of the hand he was born with，” says Paul. As Jayson got older, his father looked into purchasing a prosthetic hand, which can cost as much as $30，000. Paul found a more affordable solution.

    One day, Paul discovered a video on the Internet about Robohand, a prosthesis created with a 3D printer. He downloaded the free instructions and called Robohand's creators for advice. They told him all he needed was a 3D printer—which costs around $2，000—and some materials.

    Luckily, Jayson 's school had recently purchased a 3D printer and it offered to help Paul build the hand for Jayson n. “We used a soccer shinguard(护胫), cardboard(硬纸板), and tape. They cost about $10，” says paul.

    With his new hand, Jayson can do things better. “I can help my mom more, because now I can carry two grocery bags，” he says.

    Jayson 's father has already built several hands for Jayson. Jayson helps design each one. He says there's one thing in particular that he wants to do with a future prosthesis. “The goal，” he says, “is to be able to tie my shoelaces(鞋带)．”

    Abebe Bikila stared at the athletes from his own country, who were competing in the Olympic Games. The name Ethiopia (埃塞俄比亚) was written across the back of each athlete's uniform (衣服). As Abebe Bikila watched, he made up his mind to become one of those athletes.

    In 1932, Abebe Bikila was born in a poor family in a small town near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a child, he always ran to school a few kilometres away from his home. After leaving school, Abebe Bikila went into the army. He was later found to be excellent as a marathon (马拉松赛跑) runner. In 1960, he was on his way to Rome as a member of the Ethiopian Olympic team.

    In Rome, Abebe Bikila succeeded in completing things that no runner had ever achieved before. When he won the Olympic marathon, he became the first black African to win a gold medal. And he set a new world record. Another thing that made people surprised was that he ran the race in his bare (赤祼的) feet. When asked why he ran barefoot, Abebe Bikila said, "I wanted the world to know that my country Ethiopia has always won with determination and heroism."

    By 1964, Abebe Bikila had become well­known as a barefoot runner. In the same year, he headed for the Tokyo Olympics. But six weeks before his big race, Abebe Bikila suffered an attack of appendicitis (阑尾炎). When he arrived in Japan, he was still recovering from the operation to remove his appendix. But Abebe Bikila ran the marathon — this time wearing shoes — and won it! He beat his own record in 1960 by more than four minutes. That made him the first runner to continuously win two Olympic marathons.

    In 1968, a car accident left the great runner unable to walk for ever. Abebe Bikila died in 1973. A huge crowd, including the then ruler of Ethiopia, Atse Haile Selassie, gathered as he was laid to rest. Abebe Bikila will always be remembered for his great ability, love of country, and true Olympic spirit. In the heart of all sports fans, Abebe Bikila remains an excellent Olympic athlete.

    I have received many Christmas gifts over the years. The best gift I ever received was presented to me by a stranger. I never even knew his name and I only had contact with him for less than 60 seconds. His Christmas present to me changed the way I had thought about people and Christmas.

    It was several years ago when my wife asked me to meet her at the local department store on Black Friday morning. They had advertised a child's bike that she wanted to purchase for our son. We stood with a very large crowd, waiting for the manager to blow the whistle. After a while, the whistle blew. It was like throwing a bucket of fish into a tank of sharks. I told my wife that if we obtained a bike, fine, but we did not, I was OK with that too,

    As the shelf of bikes began to gradually decrease in size, I saw my polite opportunity to wrap my hands around the corner of one of the boxes. I lifted it off the box and suddenly felt some mild resistance. I looked up to see one of the largest gentlemen I had ever seen in my life. Threat was not the word to describe his presence. He was decorated with numerous belts of metal pointed leather around both arms and even his neck. Tattoos(文身) were an obvious passion of his.

    I started to return anxiously the box but he gently pushed it back in my direction and back into my hands. He then directed it into my shopping cart. He look d at me, smiled, and said, “Merry Christmas. ”My wife and I went to the checkout, paid for the bike and went home. All the way home I was thinking that this moment was by far the best Christmas gift I had ever received. The kindness of a stranger that broke all previous views I may have had of stereotypes and prejudices. I will never forget the tenderness of a human heart in a simple act.

    It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.

    My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I'm so glad I did.

    On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big hums(脊背)in the distance.

On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn't believe it –—there aren't any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.

The little baby whale—-actually as big as our boat—-was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡)and waves. “She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe –—and to give us a trusting(信任的) look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.

    In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.

    What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isn't a prerequisite for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles, Loe and her family grow, can (装罐) and preserve much of the food they consume.

    Loe is a master food preserver, gardener and canning expert. She also operates a website, where she shares her tips and recipes, with the goal of demonstrating that everyone has the ability to control what's on their plate.

    Loe initially went to school to become an engineer, but she quickly learned that her enthusiasm was mainly about growing and preparing her own food. “ got into cooking my own food and started growing my own herbs(香草)and foods for that fresh flavor,” she said. Engineer by day, Loe learned cooking at night school. She ultimately purchased a small piece of land with her husband and began growing their own foods.

    “I teach people how to live farm-fresh without a farm,” Loe said. Through her website Loe emphasizes that ''anybody can do this anywhere.” Got an apartment with a balcony (阳台)? Plant some herbs. A window? Perfect spot for growing. Start with herbs, she recommends, because “they're very forgiving.” Just a little of the herbs “can take your regular cooking to a whole new level,” she added. “I think it's a great place to start.” Then? Try growing something from a seed, she said, like a tomato or some tea.

    Canning is a natural extension of the planting she does. With every planted food, Loe noted, there's a moment when it's bursting with its absolute peak flavor. “I try and keep it in a time capsule in a canning jar,” Loe said. “Canning for me is about knowing what's in your food, knowing where it comes from.”

    In addition to being more in touch with the food she's eating, another joy comes from passing this knowledge and this desire for good food to her children: “Influencing them and telling them your opinion on not only being careful what we eat but understanding the bigger picture,” she said, “that if we don't take care of the earth, no one will.”

    Grandpa was a carpenter (木匠). One day he was making some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage (孤儿院) in Egypt. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. He drove back to the church, but his search turned out to be fruitless.

    Suddenly, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket and fallen into one of the boxes, which he had nailed shut. His new glasses were heading for Africa!

    Grandpa had six children and he had paid twenty dollars for the glasses that morning. “It's not fair,” he told God as he drove home. “I've been very faithful (忠诚的) in giving my time and money to YOUR work.”

    Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on holiday in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that helped him in Egypt, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather's small church in Chicago.

    “But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, I had just broken my glasses. Then your boxes arrived. To my surprise, I found a pair of glasses in it and it fit me very well!”

    The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses, but thought that the man must have confused their church with another. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. Sitting quietly in the back, with tears in his eyes, Grandpa realized that God had played a big trick on him.

    Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避)into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.

    In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university's Writers' Workshop, however, she felt lonely－a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “creative voice”.

    “It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn't think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That's when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn't write about.”

    Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book talks about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school to graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children's book, and a short-story collection.

    Years ago parents worried their children would learn the truth about Santa Claus(圣诞老人)from others, but now they have a new problem—the Internet.

    A recent study from Hide My Ass! Shows 1 in 8 American parents said the Internet told their children the truth about Santa Claus. 44% of parents thought Google was a danger to this Christmas story, as children searched for Santa and found pages explaining he is not real. About 34 percent of children questioned Santa Claus after seeing ads online for gifts they had asked for in their letters to the North Pole (北极). Sadly，one in three children said their Christmas spirit was dead after reading a post saying Santa wasn't real.

    Before the Internet, the only way children found out their parents bought their gifts was if they were in a bad hiding place. Today, two-thirds of parents never clear their browser (浏览器) history, making it easy for kids to find out the gifts under the tree weren't put there by a happy man and his little helpers.

    To keep Mr. Claus alive, “Keep Believing in Santa”, an organization created by Hide My Ass!, helps kids believe in Santa. Parents receive free software from the organization that monitors all online search results and web pages that could tell kids the truth about the man who lives in the North Pole, by hiding any information that may suggest he doesn't exist.

    However, there is still a higher possibility of the Internet now being the main cause of a child's belief in Santa ending, and it can also result in kids finding out sooner than for those born before the digital age.

    ''With this organization, we wanted to give parents a new tool that would allow them to keep the magic of Christmas and the mystery of Santa for that little bit longer,” Cian  Mckenna-Charley, marketing director at Hide My Ass!.

    I never planned to be a teacher. I was headed for a law school, for a real career. Teaching was something to "get out of my system". I would teach a couple of years and then go to get a real job. After the first couple of years, I promised myself I would leave if I didn't love my job any more. Twenty-nine years later, that day still has not come.

    So, why do I stay? I stay because I laugh and learn every day. The children are funny, insightful, and honest. If my shoes don't match my outfit, they tell me. If my argument that Invisible Man is an important twentieth century classics doesn't convince them, they tell me.

    I stay because every single day is different. Some days, my lessons are great, and I have classes of students who are engaged in reading, writing and thinking. Some days, my lessons fall flat, and I realize that I need to start from scratch — even after 29 years.

    I stay because I love to see the children realize that they have learned something — whether it's how to craft an argumentative thesis sentence or how to understand the effect of repetition in The Declaration of Independence. I love to see the children write well; I love the feeling of reading a well-argued essay, and I love smiling as I write a final "Awesome job!" on a paper on which a student has worked hard.

    I stay because what I've learned in 29 years is that I do have a "real" job — the most real job there is. It's the one that leads to other jobs, that helps to create good thinkers who go on to be productive in our society, and that supports our community as it grows and times change. My job is among the ones that matter most.

    I realized I would not see a real person named Sophie at Sophie's Eatery because, like most new restaurants these days, Sophie's is a robo-restaurant.

    When I walked in, a cute little manager robot appeared, looking rather like a toaster with blinking (眨) blue eyes. It escorted me to a nice table in the back. The menu monitor popped out of my table and showed me pictures of my dining choices. I tapped my choices and clicked OK, and the screen slid back down.

    I watched as full plates rode the conveyer belts that moved along each aisle (过道) of tables. In just a few minutes, my dish stopped at my table, and I took it from the belt. Later, I placed my empty plate back on the conveyer belt, and it was taken away into kitchen to be cleaned.

    I watched the little toaster showing customers to tables while I ate my main dish. The food was delicious, but I was starting to feel extremely angry because dealing with robots always makes me feel inhuman. Pretty soon, I wanted to talk to someone real, even if it was just a few sentences.

    So when my dessert arrived, I took action. I dropped my plate on the floor with a satisfying crash. I was so happy when I saw the manager toaster's blinking red eyes—at last, a real live person would arrive!

    But instead, a crew of two robots quickly appeared. A robot broom rushed over and started to sweep the piece of the broken plate into a robot garbage can. They finished and moved back into the kitchen.

    My plan to get a little reality into Sophie's Eatery failed. I hope the robo-restaurant trend ends soon. I want to deal with people again!

    A man in Senegal(塞内加尔) is trying to prove he can build and sell drones(无人机) in his home country.

    Mamadou Diop has experience working with drones in the photography and health industries. Diop, called Dr. Drone on social media, is also one of the few people in Senegal who can repair drones.

    But recently, he decided to take his knowledge of drones a step further. He is trying to build a drone made entirely in Senegal. Dion's goal is to use local materials and skilled Workers in Senegal to make the drones. He wants to prove that it is possible to make the technology in his home country. Diop says he has been able to communicate with other drone makers in France and China through the Internet. He has learned about their experiences to help him with his home-grown drone project. Diop plans to build his first locally-produced drone for use in the health industry. The drone will be designed to spread chemicals to prevent serious diseases.

    However, not all of the necessary materials are available(可获得的) right now. One of the materials needed for Diop's drone is a carbon fiber that is not available in Senegal. He says he bought the material from China, and worked with local workers to shape the pieces for his drone. He got aluminum from a broken fridge to form part of the body for his drone.

    Manadou Diallow is the owner of a photography shop who often uses Diop's drone services and supports his efforts to create the first" Made in Senegal" drone. "There is not a large market for drones in Senegal right now, but need for the flyers is rising, "says Diallow. Diop welcomes the help, saying it is important to start making drones locally before foreign companies come in and sell them at much higher prices.

The ex-wife murder

    "Who shot her?" cried Mr. Rogers as he rushed into the hospital three minutes after his ex-wife died from a gunshot through her head.

    "Just a minute, Mr. Rogers," said Detective Timo. "We'll have to ask you a few questions first. Although you have been divorced for the past six months, you still live in the same house with your ex-wife, Mary Ann, right?"

    "That's right," replied Mr. Rogers.

    "Did you have trouble recently?"

    "Well… yesterday, when I told her I was going on a business trip, she threatened to kill herself. I had to take a bottle of iodine (碘酒) quickly from her hands because she was about to drink it. When I left last night at seven, I told her I was spending the night with friends in Sewickley. She didn't argue. And I got back to town this afternoon," continued Mr. Rogers. "I called home and the maid answered."

    "Just what did she say?" asked Detective Timo.

    "She said,' Oh, Mr. Rogers, they took the poor mistress to St. Ann's Hospital about half an hour ago. Please hurry to her.' She was crying, so I couldn't get anything else out of her. Then I hurried here. Where is she?"

    "The nurse will show you," said Detective Timo with a nod.

    "A strange case," said the police. "This couple is a little too much for me! A man and a woman living together after being divorced six months!"

    "Did anyone tell Mr. Rogers that Mary Ann died from a gunshot before he arrived?" asked Detective Timo, deep in thought.

    "Nobody did. I ordered everyone who knows the details of the case not to discuss it."

    "That's the point. You'd better detain (拘留) Mr. Rogers. If he didn't shoot her himself, I'm sure he knows who did."

The day was September 5, 2015, when for the first time I left my country Bangladesh for China to get Master of Environmental Engineering at Chongqing University, thanks to the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC). I always wanted to know and learn new language, culture and tradition.

At the beginning, because of the language prevention, going to canteen or restaurant or visiting places or buying things were a challenge. Later, when I began learning Chinese, considered one of the most difficult languages in the world, life became much smoother. In addition, I took part in after-school activities organized by the university or by Chinese friends. In the past four years I have visited many places in China such as Yichang, Beijing, Kunming and Sichuan province. I enjoy Chongqing's delicious hotpot, tofu, traditional Chinese tea. China covers a large region and has many ethnicities (少数民族), so there's a variety of Chinese food. China is a country with a time-honored civilization and a land of ceremony. Whenever guests visit, it is necessary to serve tea to them. Before serving tea, you may ask them for their preferences as to what kind of tea they prefer and serve them the tea in the right teacups.

China is one of the few countries in the world which depend on coal as the main energy source. At present, coal accounts for about 70 percent of the energy structure in China, which produces serious environmental pollution and ecological (生态的) damage. After years of efforts, China has made achievements. Related technologies have been used in large companies in China.

I'm lucky to here working as a doctoral researcher at the department of environmental science and engineering. I should have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills that I need to build a bright future planet. By gathering scientific knowledge in this field, I have plans to create new opportunities for policymakers of my country Bangladesh. I value the chance to serve my beloved homeland!

Moving to a foreign country is an amazing, life-changing experience. It's an opportunity to meet new people, make yourself completely involved in a different culture and possibly learn another language. However, before embarking on such an adventure, there are some practical decisions that need to be made. One such decision is choosing where to live.

For me, choosing to live with a French family was the best choice I made, and here is why.

Firstly, a family can show you around the city or town and help you settle in, stopping you from feeling lonely. When you're in a new environment with people you don't know and who are speaking a language you're still not fluent in, you might feel lost, tired and homesick—I know I did. However, my host family were wonderful and welcoming;they showed me which buses to take to get to work, cooked dinner for me so we could eat together, and took me with them on trips to the beach, the theatre and even a bullring. These were great opportunities to experience French culture and build relationships, which in turn helped me feel at home and welcome.

Moreover, living with French people has been beneficial to helping me improve my language skills. Being constantly exposed to authentic French conversation has allowed me to learn new phrases, widen my vocabulary and even improve my accent. My host family are happy to answer my questions and correct me when I say things wrong, which makes me a better and more confident French speaker.

Finally, the experience of living abroad is one that you will remember forever, and perhaps the friendships—like the memories—will also last. Your host family might become your friends for life. You might return for their birthdays, weddings, holidays, and many more things. I sincerely hope to remain in contact with my host family long after I leave France because when I was away from my friends and loved ones, they welcomed me and made me part of their family.

What a day! I started at my new school this morning and had the best time. I made lots of new friends and really liked my teachers. I was nervous the night before, but I had no reason to be. Everyone was so friendly and polite. They made me feel at ease. It was like I'd been at the school for a hundred years!

The day started very early at 7:00 am. I had my breakfast downstairs with my mum. She could tell that I was very nervous. Mum kept asking me what was wrong. She told me l had nothing to worry about and that everyone was going to love me. If they didn't love me, Mum said she would send them her way for a good talking to, I couldn't stop laughing.

My mum dropped me off at the school gate about five minutes before the bell. A little blonde girl got dropped off at the same time and started waving at me. She ran over and told me her name was Abigail. She was very nice and we became close straight away. We spent all morning together and began to talk to another girl called Stacey. The three of us sat together in class all day and we even made our way home together! It went so quickly. Our teacher told us that tomorrow we would really start learning and developing new skills.

I couldn't wait until tomorrow and thought that I was really going to enjoy my time at my new school. I only hoped that my new friends would feel the same way too.

After a difficult academic year, we all deserve a wonderful summer holiday, a time for relaxation and celebration. Of course, a big part of any celebration involves food. Many of my holidays, birthdays, days out and good memories are defined by the amazing food that was involved. The sunny weather and long days bring with it a whole selection of meals, recipes and snacks to be enjoyed.

The first thing that summer calls for is a barbecue. Although I don't have a barbecue at home, a portable barbecue (烧烤架) will do the trick and this means that you can enjoy a slightly charred burger wherever you are. Picnics are also a must for summer and I often find they are the most fun when treated like a potluck (百家饭), with each person bringing along their personal favourites. Cocktail sausages and mini Scotch eggs are always my guilty pleasures. As someone from the Suffolk coast, fish and chips are essential. It truly feels like summer when I sit on the beach with chips wrapped in paper on my lap. The coast is the best place to get a seafood treat with fish being caught fresh daily. Besides, you can finish your day with a walk along the beach. Finally, we can't forget the drinks. Pimms in the sun, well balanced by lemonade and summer fruits, is always delicious. And I find that nothing reminds me more of post-exam celebrations than a pint (品脱，为容量单位) in a beer garden.

The thing about summer food is that it often becomes food associated with summer memories. Picnics, barbecues, and fish and chips on the beach are more than just delicious meals — they are a way to socialise and have fun with friends and family. Part of the fun comes from lazing in the sun afterwards, swimming in the sea, and playing heartily, which is why our food memories are so powerful.

A farmer had a friend who was famous for growing wonderful apple trees.

One day, the farmer's friend gave him a young apple tree and told him to take it home and plant it.

The farmer loved the gift. But when he got home, he did not know where to plant it. He was afraid that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers would steal the apples. If he planted the tree in one of his fields, his neighbors would come at night and steal the apples. Finally, he planted the tree in his wood. Nobody could see it, but there was no sunlight in his wood. The tree soon died.

Later, the friend asked the farmer why he planted the tree in such a poor place. "What's the difference?" the farmer said angrily. "If I plant the tree near the road, strangers may steal the apples. If I plant the tree in one of my fields, my neighbors may come at night and steal the apples."

"Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could enjoy the apples. Now no one could eat the apples, and the apple tree died! "